Parrot suggestions. Parrots 'underpowered' from new kicking mechanic?

TheInBreastigator

I posted this previously in a thread, but I would like the topic to garner more attention if I posted this in a new, centralized thread instead.

Right now as it stands, parrot feels like it's missing out on some potential. It's a very good harassment, distraction-esque weapon, but we could potentially take it a step further to perhaps give a captain specific buff.

Here are some suggestions i've had in mind, along with my current outlook on how the new kick function particularly affects captains and parrots in general.

An outline on your parrot that you can see through walls? This would be a light buff to captain specifically, as it is really hard to keep track of your parrot if it's off somewhere wonky, in a previous area you've visited or drowned out by other people's parrots.

Maybe even allow parrots to outline it's current target through walls? The glow would adjust accordingly. Green for high health, yellow for medium, red for low. So you'll know if it's worth keeping your parrot nibbling away at that person. The parrot could even act as a quick little scouting tool to see where an enemy is approaching from and where the enemy's current position is.

And finally, maybe allow your parrot to specifically target someone if you keep your crosshair aimed at a person as you throw out your parrot? The parrot will ignore all targets until either the target dies or the parrot itself dies.

I also feel like the ability to kill parrots with a kick is a bit of a nerf to parrots in general. It's frustrating to sick the parrot on an archer or a class with their ranged weapon out, only for the parrot to be quickly killed off by a kick when it used to be, sicking a parrot on someone with a ranged weapon would force the ranged guy to be good with his ranged shot and shoot the parrot down (archer in particular) or to waste time drawing out a melee weapon in order to kill said parrot. It's also faster just to kick the parrot down instead of charging a up a weapon (which used to be a great indicator of when to call back your parrot).

I would highly suggest removing the kick's ability to kill parrots, as parrot is much harder to utilize with the current kick function every class has at any opportunity.

Maybe adjust parrot's respawning speed to compensate for the kick buff being added in, if kicks will retain the ability to kill parrots.

KOKORONOKAWARI

Seeing through walls with a parrot isn't a good idea because it gives a semi-wall hax. Already does its job of acting like a sentry to let you know if someone is in a specific area you let the bird in already.

Kicking parrot is harder than meleeing/shield bashing (especially) lol.

Parrot buff would be better suited to controlling who to target.

TheInBreastigator

The first line you posted is understandable.

But you're missing the point with the second line you posted.

There's no telling sign when an opponent would use a kick. Kicks are instantaneous, While meleeing with any sort of weapon has a wind up, no matter how small it is. This isn't a problem in any sort of way besides when it comes to using parrots. The opponent having a melee weapon out in the first place is enough of a sign to know when to withdraw a parrot from attacking, wether or not the opponent is readying a swing or not. You will never know if your opponent is going to use a kick or not, there is not tell for it.

Normally, you'd want to recall your parrot the moment your opponent would notice the parrot attacking them. You can get away with this if the opponent is caught off-guard with their ranged weapon out. (Pre-kick update to PVK. This meant the opponent would have to take a few critical moments to draw back to their melee weapon to be able to 'effectively' deal with a parrot. This would be a sign for the captain to recall his parrot, as this is an immediate sign that his parrot risks being retaliated against.)

With the kick update. You lose out on those signals as a Captain, as there's no way to predict when a kick would happen, or if the opponent would even attempt a kick at all. Again, since kicks are instantaneous, it adds sort of a random factor to attacking with a parrot. Any old dopey archer could just mash his kick key with his bow or crossbow out and slay a parrot luckily by chance. An acceptable bit of luck was if archers would spray and pray at birds, or actually aimed a bow well enough to get rid of said parrot, but the kick makes attacking ranged users quite a bit more unpredictable and it's unneedlessly punishing for Captain's parrots.

KOKORONOKAWARI

TheInBreastigator wrote:

There's no telling sign when an opponent would use a kick. Kicks are instantaneous, While meleeing with any sort of weapon has a wind up, no matter how small it is. This isn't a problem in any sort of way besides when it comes to using parrots. The opponent having a melee weapon out in the first place is enough of a sign to know when to withdraw a parrot from attacking, wether or not the opponent is readying a swing or not. You will never know if your opponent is going to use a kick or not, there is not tell for it.

Everyone has a weapon out. Ranged weapon isn't hard to hit the parrot from a distance and can hit vertically which a kick can't.

Normally, you'd want to recall your parrot the moment your opponent would notice the parrot attacking them.

That isn't normally. It is used to distract as you go in or go after someone else since they are focused on that. Sure, you can recall it and send it out as you close the gap. If they kick, it means they stopped moving to do it which helps close that gap. If you are simply teasing someone and that is what this is about that isn't really enough to warrant this kind of change at all.

You can get away with this if the opponent is caught off-guard with their ranged weapon out. (Pre-kick update to PVK. This meant the opponent would have to take a few critical moments to draw back to their melee weapon to be able to 'effectively' deal with a parrot. This would be a sign for the captain to recall his parrot, as this is an immediate sign that his parrot risks being retaliated against.)

With the kick update. You lose out on those signals as a Captain, as there's no way to predict when a kick would happen, or if the opponent would even attempt a kick at all.

If a player is kicking birds every time then that makes it even easier to tell because of the cooldown and they are just spamming it.

but the kick makes attacking ranged users quite a bit more unpredictable and it's unneedlessly punishing for Captain's parrots.

As said, it isn't hard to hit it with ranged if it is being deployed at range (which is the case here since you are simply using parrot to just tease the enemy not as a distraction for you to close in {if it was then them kicking it makes you get closer because again they can't move while kicking they stop momentum}).

This is nowhere a nerf to Captains since the main purpose of parrot is to distract not tease players. Trying to take advantage of dinahs that may not be pro enough to hit the bird with the arrow isn't again a nerf to Captain. There is no tell with flicking arrows either as it happens that fast but we don't make parrots invulnerable to ranged weapons (or dual wield/dagger which are also fast).